4th February 2018
Farirai Madhumbe | The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Support Unit under fired Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri lost a lucrative tender to guard regional transport powerhouse Sabot Cargo careers late last year, Zimeye.com can exclusively reveal.
According to insiders, ZPR Support Unit officers were manning some long distances cargo careers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC via Zambia and Zimbabwe en route to South Africa before shipment to international markets mainly in Europe, among other destinations.
According to information from its website, Sabot transports products from the leading mining houses within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and South Africa, `ranging from concentrates to processed metals’ . One of our sources said ZRP Support Unit lost the job late last year amid raising tension in the country when former president Robert Mugabe was toppled by the military.
`We are not sure how it all happened but ZRP Support Unit are no longer providing security services to Sabot trucks. The deal was cancelled late last year,’ said one of our sources a driver from Zambia.
He added that during their reign ZRP Support Unit officers were assigned to four trucks linked to Mugabe who is suspected of getting shares due to his links with Billy Rautenbach one of his close allies in mining business in DRC.
Rautenbach got the mining contract during the military insurgents in DRC that saw leader Joseph Kabila ascending into power.
Rautenbach’s business ventures involves trucking, car manufacturing, farming and mining in several African countries. After expanding the family business, Wheels of Africa, into the largest trucking company on the African continent, he turned to car assembling but faced tax evasion charges in South Africa in 2004.
This forced him to leave the country and stay in Zimbabwe. He set major cobalt producers in the world and this has been one of sponsors of ZPR security regionally, added one of our sources refusing to be named for professional reasons.
Another high ranking official source added, `It is true that ZPR Support Unit were giving security to pure cobalt but the contract has been withdrawn from them to a private Guarding Company. As why ZRP can no longer provide security no one knows.’
There was no official response from Sabot besides sending an email two weeks over termination of ZRP Support Unit contact under Chihuri who has come under fire for state sponsored alleged corruption by junior officers mainly in traffic section.
ZRP police spokesperson Charity Charamba could not comment on the issue saying, `I have no idea about what you saying,’ said Charamba before cutting off the conversion.
Sabot has a fleet size of over 500 horses and over 1200 trailers allowing for a wide variety of vehicle combinations to ensure that any load can be transported according to its official website. It further say the fleet is managed and maintained to the highest standards to ensure optimum running efficiency and reliability.
`Sabot has access to a vast fleet of Cargo Carriers International Hauliers vehicles, all of which ensure and deliver the upmost quality in transport and logistics services to all Sabot clients within the Southern African region. This allows Sabot to position itself as a leading provider in the field,’ says the website. – Source: https://www.zimeye.net/fired-chihuri-lost-lucrative-tender-to-guard-sabot-latest/
Post published in: Zimbabwe News